The use of batteries and energy storage devices has become prevalent in today's high-tech world. According to LUX Research the market for energy storage in mobile applications will go from $28 billion in 2013 to $41 billion in 2018, excluding starter batteries, fixed installation batteries and super capacitors. Batteries are used to power everyday devices including laptops, tablets, smartphones, military devices, and increasingly, hybrid and electric cars. Unfortunately, while these devices have become more powerful and as a result require an increasing amount of energy to run, there have been fewer corresponding advancements in battery chemistries and associated monitoring technology.
Current battery management systems generally monitor electrical characteristics such as battery voltage, charge and discharge current and temperature to determine state of charge (SOC). Various methods for monitoring electrical characteristics are well known, such as those disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/768,506; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/297,025; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/398,860. However, what is needed is a measurement system that increases the accuracy of the reported battery SOC and provides an accurate evaluation of a battery state of health (SOH).